Arellano adds to Perpetual’s woes

Arellano University survived a huge fourth-quarter rally by University of Perpetual Help System Dalta en route to a 70-69 victory — its second straight — in Season 101 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball tournament Sunday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.

T-Mc Ongotan shot 22 points and grabbed four rebounds as the Chiefs improved to a 5-6 win-loss record in Group A and boosted their bid for a slot in the quarterfinals.

Head coach Chico Manabat said they were happy to escape with the win and ramping up their defense got the job done.

The Chiefs led by as many as 18 points, 44-26.

“We never knew who would take the last shot as long as we let (Patrick) Sleat shoot. It turned out Mark Gojo Cruz had the ball so I think the breaks of the game just went our way,” Manabat said.

“I think we just stuck with our scouting reports on their weaknesses.”

The Chiefs had to stay strong in the final 2:11 in the fourth quarter to emerge victorious.

Despite having a 70-60 lead, Perpetual tried to mount a comeback after scoring nine straight points, capped by a triple by LA Casinilio with 25 seconds remaining.

Arellano almost had a meltdown after Sebastian Valencia and King Vinoya missed their four free-throw attempts.

However, the Altas failed to capitalize on Arellano’s errors after Gojo Cruz’s three-pointer missed as the clock expired.

Abiera scored 16 points off the bench for Arellano while Valencia and Joseph Hernal had eight points each.

Gojo Cruz had 14 points, six rebounds and four assists as the Altas absorbed their third straight loss and is on the verge of missing out on the top spot of Group A.

Meanwhile, Letran College beat Emilio Aguinaldo College 82-73, improving its bid for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Jun Roquel led the Knights with 15 points as they now hold a 7-5 record.

Chad Gammad scored 11 points for Letran while Deo Cuajao and Kevin Santos had 10 points each.

EJ Castillo’s 23-point outburst wasn’t enough for the Generals, who slid to a 4-7 slate.